A DNA is someone who Did Not Attend an appointment at the surgery and did not tell us beforehand. The Doctor or Nurse were waiting, but the patient did not attend. DNAs are a serious problem for the NHS. Research shows that around 13 million GP appointments and 6 million practice nurse appointments are missed each year.
At the Practice, on average, 100 patients DNA appointments each month, that’s 1200 appointments each year (the equivalent of over 15 hours of clinician time and 15 hours admin time per month) not only is this a waste of valuable administrative resources, it also means the number of appointments available for patients is reduced by each DNA that occurs.
Due to an increase in the number of wasted appointments through patients failing to attend without informing the practice, it has become necessary to implement the following policy:
If you fail to attend three appointments without informing us, we will write to you asking if there are any specific problems preventing us from letting us know.
If you repeatedly fail to attend for appointments, you may be removed from the practice list and have to find an alternative GP practice.
Thank you for your co-operation
Brownsover Medical Centre